the Minister of the Economy, Antoine Armand, involves help companies | EUROtoday

After the Senate’s discount in reductions in employer contributions within the Social Security finances (PLFSS), the Minister of the Economy, Antoine Armand, warns of the temptation to need to tax companies extra. These latter “ must not be the adjustment variable »he warns in an interview with Parisianpublished Wednesday, November 20 evening.

The elimination of reductions in charges, even reduced to three billion euros by the Senate on Tuesday evening – compared to four billion in the initial text of the Social Security budget project (PLFSS) – displeases businesses and the Macronist camp, because they appear to go against the supply policy sustained almost without fail since 2017.

“My political family carries a message: it is not by bludgeoning businesses and increasing labor costs that we create jobs and growth”remarks Mr. Armand. “The EPR group [Ensemble pour la République] is right to insist: we must go as far as possible to preserve contribution reductions”he continues, including: “Be careful of the excess tax! »while the idea of ​​an increase in the mobility payment, an employer contribution to the financing of public transport, is looming.

“I am Michel Barnier’s minister and above all I belong to the Ensemble pour la République family. Let’s stop being afraid of words: we are in a coalition. This means that political forces that don’t agree on everything work together.”he adds when it is pointed out to him that there are points of disagreement between Michel Barnier and the EPR deputies.

A “fair and responsible” interview, choose Gabriel Attal

These remarks aroused a chorus of praise from the latter, and particularly from their president, Gabriel Attal, who, on the X platform, judges the interview with Mr. Armand “fair and responsible”. With the deputies Together, “we continue to defend the competitiveness of our economy in the service of employment. Alternative paths to increasing charges exist. Thank you to the Prime Minister and the government for listening, the work continues with them”assures the former tenant of Matignon.

Mr. Attal at the same time reposted another message on X from the group of EPR deputies, who welcomed the interview just after its publication, arguing that “we cannot take the risk of increasing labor costs”.

In the interview, Mr. Armand judges “irresponsible” All “pseudo-blackmail into resignation”in case his requests are not heard, and recalls that Mr. Barnier “has always opened the door to adjustments in return for savings proposals”.

The risk of the motion of censure

Among these possible savings, he mentions the tightening of unemployment insurance conditions, proposed in the spring by EPR. He recalls that he is in favor of “a debate on working time”has “touching the lifestyle of the State”or medical transport by taxi, “which costs Health Insurance 3 billion per year. Or 50,000 euros per year per taxi”.

He appears to hope that the movement of censure which might end result from a 49.3 on the finances wouldn’t be adopted, whereas Marine Le Pen is presently threatening to affix it. “How could the French understand that oppositions who share almost nothing would nevertheless vote together on a motion of censure, effectively putting France without a budget and without a government on Christmas Eve? »he asks himself.

Finally, questioned about the leader of the Les Républicains deputies Laurent Wauquiez, who regularly irritates the EPR group, Mr. Armand judges that the political situation “is too new to have any qualms. If sometimes some people have methods, postures or positions that provoke a reaction, let’s not fall into the trap”.